If you want to keep hydrated, then infused water with fruit and vegetables may be a healthy habit that you can introduce in your daily routine. Except for keeping us hydrated, infused water has health benefits that can’t be ignored including energy boosting and toxin elimination. Let’s take a break from dessert making this August and instead let’s make some infused water by mixing some fruit, vegetables, and spices! Keep reading for some fun and easy recipes!

What is infused water?

Infused water is water flavored naturally with fruits, herbs and vegetables. The ingredients are added to the water, then left for a period of time to release their natural flavors and nutrients. You’re left with a flavorful water drink that’s both healthy and delicious.

The benefits that infused water provides

You’ll find infused water has a lot of awesome health benefits. You’ll not only receive the benefits of water alone, but the benefits of the fruit, herbs, and vegetables you’re using.

Below, we’ll look at some of the best benefits you can expect when you add this beverage to your daily routine.

Hydration benefits

The biggest benefit of drinking plenty of water, is hydration. However, many people find after drinking lots of sweet sodas, water simply doesn’t have a lot of flavor. Therefore, they find it difficult opting for water over the sweet, fizzy drinks available.

Infused water on the other hand, has plenty of flavor. This means it can be a great alternative for those who don’t like the taste of standard water. It can help to keep hydration levels topped up.

The main benefits of hydration include more lubricated joints, better transportation of nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, and helping to keep the skin and hair in healthy condition.

Eliminates toxins

You’ll find drinking infused waters also helps to eliminate toxins from the body. This will leave you feeling naturally more alert and healthier. 

Improved immune system

The nutrients found in the fruits, herbs and vegetables in infused water, will help to boost the immune system. This means you’ll be at a lesser risk of picking up colds and the flu. It also means your body will be better equipped to fight off diseases.

It is great for your mental health

Another impressive benefit of infused water is that it can do wonders for your mental health. As you’ll have more energy, you’ll be less likely to snack on unhealthy foods. As mentioned above, the extra energy you’ll feel also helps you to work out more. This in turn aids your sleep patterns.

All of these benefits help to give your mental health a boost. You’ll feel naturally great after switching to drinking infused water.

These are just some of the awesome benefits you can expect to experience when you start drinking infused waters. The exact health benefits will depend upon the ingredients used. It’s amazing to think that just a simple change to your daily routine such as adding infused waters, can make a difference, even small, to your health and wellbeing.  

How to Make Infused Water

Now that you know the benefits of drinking infused water, the question is how can you make it?

While you can easily buy ready-made infused water, you’ll receive far more benefits if you make it yourself. Creating your own can also help to enhance the flavor, plus it’s cheaper too.

Below, you’ll discover how to make infused water to experience its awesome benefits.

1. Choose your ingredients

The first thing you’ll need to do is decide which ingredients you want to use. Remember, you can use fruit, herbs, and vegetables. You can also mix it up by using a combination of fruits and vegetables, or even a mixture of all three ingredients.

Think about the main benefits you want to experience. Are you looking to feel more energized for example? If so, you’ll want to focus on citrus fruit flavors. Or perhaps you’re looking for an infused water that’s going to detox the body? Once you know what you’re trying to achieve, it will help you select the best ingredients to use.

2. Don’t use hot water

Once you have your ingredients, you’ll need to the prepare the water. While drinking hot water with lemon juice can be a great detoxifying drink, it’s actually better to use cold water for infused recipes.

This is because hot water can cause vegetables and fruits to break down much faster. This can lead to them becoming soggy and creating more of a gloopy drink. So, if you want the best results, stick to cold or room temperature water.

3. Leave the water to infuse slowly

When infusing the water, you’ll want to make sure you give it plenty of time to soak up the flavors.

Ideally, you’ll want to leave the ingredients to infuse for at least 20 minutes. However, for a full-bodied flavor, you might want to wait for up to a maximum of 24 hours for the water to infuse.

It’s important to research here to find out which ingredients can be left for longer. For example, some ingredients may need to be drunk right away to receive their benefits. Some ingredients on the other hand, will need to be infused for longer to get the most flavor. You can even find infused water recipes which require overnight refrigeration. So, pay attention to infusion times depending upon the ingredients you’re using. 

4. Step-by-step guide

The above are the basics you’ll need to know before making infused water. The actual step-by-step process involves:

• Fill a pitcher (or an individual glass) with water, then grab your ingredients
• Gently mash up the ingredients before adding them to the water
• Leave to infuse for at least 20 minutes
• Strain the water and enjoy!

There are a few different ways you can create infused waters, but the above is one of the easiest.    

Top tips to follow

So, now you know more about how to create delicious, infused waters, let’s look at a few tips to help.

Firstly, using a glass pitcher or mug will ensure that you end up with the best flavors. Plastic can soak up some of the flavor, while also adding its own flavor to the drink. You’ll also want to ensure you’re using the freshest ingredients. Avoid using bruised fruit or herbs that aren’t fresh. Finally, slicing the fruit and vegetables thinly will also give you more flavor. When cut into smaller pieces, they infuse much quicker and easier.

As you can see, creating your own infused water recipes is easy. The above is a brief guide on how to create your own infused waters and the general guidelines to follow.   

Best Fruit, Herbs and Vegetables to Make Infused Water

If you’re thinking of creating your own infused water, you’ll have a lot of options when it comes to the ingredients you can use. Practically all fruits can be used, creating fresh, delicious flavors. However, some are better to use than others in terms of health benefits.

Best fruits to use to make infused water

Apples are a great example. Packed full of iron, apples are also low in calories. They are also a natural appetite suppressant, keeping you feeling fuller for longer. They are also sold in a wide choice of varieties, each with its own unique flavor profile.

In terms of health benefits, blueberries are also one of the best fruits you can use. They are packed full of powerful antioxidants, and they also contain a naturally sweet flavor if you use ripe ones. This means they’ll be a big hit with the kids. They are also one of the easiest fruits to use as they require no preparation. Just stick them in the water as they are.

Lemon is another great option. Known for its detoxifying properties, lemon infused water is extremely good for the health. It is a particularly great fruit to use in morning infused water drinks, helping to detoxify the body while boosting energy levels.

These are just a few of the best fruits you can use to create your healthy infused waters.

Best herbs for infused water

Again, you can use any number of herbs to create healthy infused waters. However, for health benefits you’ll want to focus on ginger, sage, and parsley.

Ginger can be used in fresh or powder form to receive its impressive benefits. Adding a spicy, warm taste to the water, it’s fantastic for detoxifying the body. It also has great anti-inflammatory benefits, alongside great benefits for the digestive system.

Sage, although not one of the most popular herbs used in water, also has powerful health benefits. It is particularly great for cognition benefits, helping your brain to become sharper and more alert. It can also help to improve memory, and is high in Vitamin K. Ingested daily, it can also help to regulate cholesterol levels and improve blood sugar.

Parsley is another great herb to use for its health benefits. It contains a high level of vitamins and nutrients. It also has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. Combine this with its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and you have a very healthy infused water ingredient.

Best vegetables to infuse water

You’ll be spoilt for choice when choosing vegetables to add to your infused recipes. Like herbs and fruits, some veggies are better to use for their health benefits than others.

Carrots are a great vegetable to add to water. High in Vitamin A and carotene, these delicious veggies are great for your eyesight and skin. They go well with a number of fruits too, adding a sweeter taste to infused waters.

Beets are also worth considering due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These are slightly messier to work with, but they do pack some powerful benefits. Spinach, sweet potato, and broccoli are some other great veggies you can use.

Cucumbers are an excellent choice as they will give hydration a boost!

These are just a small selection of the best fruits, herbs, and vegetables to use in infused water. It’s a good idea to do a little research to see which flavor combinations work better. You can combine the fruits, herbs and vegetables for a super-healthy drink providing they complement each other well.

Energy Boosting Infused Water Recipes

Are you looking for infused water recipes that focus on boosting your energy levels? You’ll find lots of fruits, vegetables and herbs can aid in giving you a much-needed energy boost.

Here, we’ll look at some of the best infused waters for energy.

Lemon-Infused Water

The easiest energy boosting infused water recipe, is simply lemon. While you can add numerous other ingredients to boost its health benefits, lemon-infused water alone is extremely effective at boosting energy levels.

Out of all of the different fruits, this one is also considered one of the healthiest due to its low sugar content. It will also help the body to detox, flushing out harmful toxins.

All you need is a lemon and water for this one so why not make this your beginner infused water recipe? It only takes around 20 minutes to create too as the lemon doesn’t need to be infused for hours to receive its benefits.

Cinnamon Orange-Infused Water

If you’re looking for a sweeter infused water recipe, cinnamon orange water is ideal. You don’t need many ingredients for this one, just one orange and two cinnamon sticks should suffice for one drink.

Orange and citrus fruits are well known for their energizing benefits. The addition of cinnamon also gives the drink healing powers. Cinnamon is known for its antibiotic and antioxidant properties, great for cleansing the body.

Strawberry and Lime-Infused water

Ideal for hot sunny days, this strawberry and lime water is a refreshing and energizing drink. Containing strawberries, lime and mint, the micronutrients within these ingredients dissolve into the water and aid in detoxification.

Immediately after drinking this infused water, you’ll feel an instant energy boost. If you use ripe strawberries, you’ll also find this is a very sweet drink, suitable for the whole family. You’ll just need a cupful of strawberries, one lime and a few mint leaves.

Pineapple and Orange-Infused Water

Fancy a tropical style energizing drink? This pineapple and orange water recipe is sure to be a big hit on hot sunny days.

Both oranges and pineapples contain a high level of Vitamin C. They also have anti-inflammatory, digestion, and immune system benefits. You don’t need a lot of these ingredients to create a small pitcher. Just combine one orange, half a cup of pineapple, two cups of ice and some water.

It’s best to leave this water to infuse for around an hour in the refrigerator before drinking.

More beverage recipes? Check this out!

Do you want to find out about ingredients and the flavors that pair best? Check out the Flavor Bible